It Should've Been You
by YoGurlB
Summary: Seth Clearwater died in the battle with the Volturi. Leah Clearwater must deal with life after Seth, while Jacob Black must make the most important decision of his life.


**I don't own Twilight or the characters! But if I did, Stephanie Meyer wouldn't. Bahahaha! But yea, Stephanie Meyer owns everything. **

"_Help Leah, help!" _

Those three words would be a stain in her mind forever. Those were the last words Seth Clearwater said before the vampire snapped his spine. Leah would never forget the sound of his spine snapping right in half, leaving him lying limply on the snow covered field. She saw him take his last breath as he tried to think his last thought. Instead his mind was clouded with the fear of dying.

Leah had not been the same since that tragic day. She wasn't eating, sleeping, or even spitting insults at her pack brothers. She didn't even snap at Emily when she hugged her at Seth's funeral. He had to be buried in wolf form because he never phased back after his death. Leah just stood by herself, away from the pack as they buried her brother. After his funeral, she stayed behind although her mother and packmates attempted to get her home. Her Alpha couldn't even get her to budge. She stood in that same spot for three hours, staring at the pile of dirt that covered her brother's body. Jacob wrapped his arms around her waist as a single tear rolled down her cheek. He felt horrible for what he had done to his pack. He had betrayed them when he decided to protect Bella and then imprint on her daughter in the end. Of course he couldn't control the imprint, but he knew if he left Bella alone after the wedding, he wouldn't be in this position. His Beta wouldn't hate him for not being there when they needed him the most. He was too busy protecting Nessie to be there during the battle that also resulted in the death of Carlisle and Jasper.

"It should've been me," Leah whispered as Jacob rested his head on her shoulder. That was the tenth time she had said that in two days. Jacob kept count and every time those words passed her lips, he felt like someone was stabbing him in the heart. Leah was getting better since she joined his pack. She was still the same sarcastic Leah but she wasn't as bitter as before. She laughed more, smiled more and Jacob began to see the Leah that Sam fell in love with. Now she was back to square one. "It should've been me." Leah repeated. _Number eleven._ And then the yelling and water works began. She yelled about Jacob betraying them and how they needed him there but instead he protected their natural born enemy. She yelled _I hate you_ over and over again, knowing she didn't mean it. Jacob let her pound at his chest until she finally collapsed into his arms. "It should've been me Jake." _Number twelve._

She still wasn't getting better after two months. If anything, she was getting worse. Sue was beginning to worry about her well-being when Leah began screaming in the middle of the night. Sometimes she wasn't even sleep, she would just scream for Seth in her dark room.

"Jacob please help her. She won't talk to me. The only time she says anything is when she's blaming herself or apologizing," Sue cried. Jacob took in her small frame. She had lost so much weight since Seth died.

"She won't talk to me either. Well she only yells at me and that's it," Jacob replied, hugging Sue as she began to cry.

"I wanna help her. I don't like seeing my baby like this," Sue sobbed. Sue then suggested that Jacob stayed with Leah at night to at least calm her during the screaming fits.

"It should've been me," Leah whispered as Jacob sat on her bed. _Number thirteen._

"Stop saying that Lee," Jacob replied, taking her hand in his. "Seth wouldn't want you to feel like that."

"He needed my helped and I wasn't there to save him." This was the most Leah had talked in two months. "I know my mom's forcing you to watch over me, you can go back to your precious imprint. I don't need you here."

"Yes you do and I'm staying."

Leah narrowed her eyes and fell back on her pillow. "No I don't." Jacob laid down beside his Beta, ignoring her protest. She finally drifted off to sleep only to wake up screaming two hours later. Although she didn't want Jacob there, she was glad he was there to comfort her.

Every night from then on he stayed with her and was there every time she woke up screaming. Sometimes she would talk about Seth before falling back into a deep sleep.

"I miss him," Leah said.

"Me too," Jacob added.

"He was scared Jake. Did you see it?" Jacob didn't answer her. He didn't see Seth's last thoughts because he was too busy trying to keep Nessie safe. Another pang of guilt hit him. "Oh yea, I forgot. She was way more important."

"I'm sorry Leah. I know that's not enough but…"

"Just save it and go back to your imprint," Leah snapped. "I know the pain is killing you. I'd rather be alone anyway."

Jacob stayed with the Cullens for two weeks without seeing Leah. He wanted to honor her wishes and stay away but it only made him feel guiltier. Sue called him everyday updating him on Leah's condition. She said that Sam had come by but Leah wouldn't even open her eyes. She pulled her comforter over her head when Sam walked in her room.

Jacob's cell phone rang from his pocket. "What do you want Sam?"

"You could have at least stayed there to make sure she was okay. Let me guess, you're with _her?_" Sam never referred to Nessie by her name. "She's a complete mess Jake."

Jacob sighed. "I know."

"And yet you're still over there with them. After what they caused," Sam growled. "How can you lead a pack when you're glued to her?"

"I'm not in the mood for this Sam."

"I hope you figure out what the hell you're supposed to be doing," Sam replied before ending the call.

The Cullens weren't the same anymore either. Without the head of their family, they were different. It was almost as if they couldn't function without Carlisle. Esme stayed to herself and Alice ran off to Alaska. She said she couldn't live in a world without Jasper and the Cullens hadn't heard from her since. Rosalie and Emmett didn't show much emotion at all, they attempted to bring the family together but they failed.

"We're leaving," Bella said.

"What?" Jacob stood up to face the girl he once loved.

"We're leaving Jake. We're all going our separate ways, to start over. We're moving to Alaska," Bella explained.

"You can't do that," Jacob protested.

"There's nothing here for us anymore. We can't…stay here. Look, you can come with us. Nessie would like that," Bella replied.

"I...I can't come with you. I can't leave my pack here," Jacob said. He ran his hand through his hair and began pacing back and forth. "Can't you just stay here?"

"I wish we could," Bella said sadly.

For the next few minutes, there was a big battle going on in Jacob's mind. Should he stay or should he go? There were big consequences regardless of what he decided to do. If he went with the Cullens he was leaving his tribe behind and betraying them again. If he stayed, he was letting his imprint leave him and that would be painful. He already could feel the pain forming in his chest as he thought about being far away from her. _You're responsible for this tribe. You're the Chief. _Jacob could hear his father's words echo in his head. It was time for him to stop thinking about himself and be responsible. It was time for him to put his tribe before himself.

"I can't go Bella," Jacob said.

Bella eyes widened and she nodded her head. "I know." She wanted him to come with them so badly but she knew he also had a tribe that needed him. In the back of her mind she wanted him to stay. He had given her much of his life at this point and it was time for him to take responsibility for what belonged to him. Bella could no longer have that hold on him. It was time to let him go. Bella pulled Jacob into a hug. "I'm proud of you." And she really was proud of him. He had grown a lot in the past few years. His decision to stay was living proof that he had matured. A year ago, he would have left with them, leaving his tribe behind.

"Why," Jacob asked.

"You know why Jake. I promise we'll keep in touch. I'll call and write letters," Bella said. Nessie tugged at Jacob's jeans and he dipped down to pick her up. Her tiny hand landed on his cheek and an image of Leah filled his head.

"It should've been her," Nessie whispered. She pulled her hand from his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too Nessie." Jacob hugged his imprint.

He let them go. They left Forks the next day and the pain was almost unbearable. He held his chest as he knocked on the door of the Clearwaters.

"Oh Jake," Sue said as she opened the door to find Jacob clutching his chest. "Come in honey." She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house.

"I'll be fine," Jacob croaked out. Would he eventually stop hurting? Sue nodded as he climbed the stairs to Leah's room.

Leah sat on the edge of her bed staring back at him in utter shock. "What the hell are you doing here?" Jacob pulled her off the bed and into a tight hug. Leah pushed away from him and began banging on his chest while she yelled every curse word in the book. Like many times before, she collapsed into his arms while she cried out for her brother.

"It should've been you," Jacob whispered into her hair. _Number one_. Nessie was right.

**I guess I was depressed when I wrote this last night. Sorry for killing Seth off. I love the kid but it was just for the story. Thanks for reading!**

**A/N**

**Hey peeps! Thanks to all of you that have read and reviewed this already! I just wanted to clear something up so people don't think Nessie and Jake are being complete assholes. lol Both of them agreed that Leah should have been the one for Jacob instead of that damn imprint. I know I've emailed a few of you already but I wanted to clear that up for new readers. I love you guys! Toodles! **


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